Hollywood-China Probe: Is Bo Xilai Scandal Related To Movie Biz?

This is not to say that Hollywood’s movie studios have been involved in wrongdoing. But my China sources are telling me that ongoing local corruption probes involving the Bo Xilai scandal may reach into the local movie biz. “There’s this anti-corruption drive that will filter through to all sectors. Government people are worried people will check how they link into his database. Anybody could turn up there,” one of my sources warns. “Everybody in China is very nervous. Will there be purging?” This may be what’s behind today’s Reuters news that the SEC has sent letters of inquiry to at least 3 Hollywood movie studios regarding their dealings with Chinese officials. I’ve been hearing in the last week from movie biz sources familiar with China that “there’s a whole lotta stuff going on” and “something’s gonna go down” with regard to the current scandal involving top former Chinese politician Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai. Gu Kailai is currently under investigation for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, and her husband was suspended from his post at the Politburo in early April on suspicion of serious disciplinary infractions. As The New York Times reported, “Not since the purges after the crackdown on democracy protests in 1989 has the Chinese leadership been exposed to so much turmoil.” Until today’s SEC news, the Bo scandal seemed unrelated to Hollywood. China’s hot for box office. But is it too hot for movie business now?

5 Comments

Where are all those right wing commenters who blame everything on the President? Oh right, they don’t talk about American business’ biggest partner.

hotpot • on Apr 24, 2012 5:12 pm

Not related.

However, the story of Bo Xilai’s life including
– Bo xilai himself (two-faced red princeling who is extremely charming, hardworking, treacherous and manipulative)
– the Wang Lijun incident (his right hand man – national hero in China – fled to US consulate)
– Bo’s wife (who allegedly killed her Brit lover)
– the married Brit lover (who also works for MI6 while being the straw man for the Bo family)

has all the materials to become a brilliant Hollywood political thriller.

CynicalCritic • on Apr 24, 2012 5:12 pm

Don’t forget about:

– Bo’s priveleged son, who is currently enrolled at Harvard – studying about government, no less
– Bo’s brother, who just resigned from a state-owned Chinese conglomerate
– Bo’s 32-year-old “orderly”

Lumiere • on Apr 24, 2012 5:12 pm

Let’s not forget that Bo was in a leading position to be ruling China until this happened. His old style “Memories of Mao” schtick was pretty popular after he rooted out a host of local corrupt officials who were ripping off the peasantry.
I’ll bet the studios are already minor players in this. Must be a lot of chatter between a few corporate vice presidents and the state department on this. I would think the studios are on bended knee listening to their corporate overlords on how to handle this (if there was anything potentially inappropriate.
If bribes were paid, in order to build the market in China, it puts the US Govt in an awkward position, as the business of the US Gov’t is to find, develop and secure markets for US trade. Do they hitch their lasso to a falling star (who possibly opened up the market for them?) and piss off the current rulers? Or make him road kill for future considerations?

I read in EpochTimes that two models were at odds. A resurgent Maoist model of Chonggking led by Bo and then the Hu Jintao market oriented model led by Wen Jiabao. One had the national police while the other had the military. Periodically, Chinese politics moves back and forth between these polarities.